Method of printing



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Oct. 16, 1934. o, A, BERIAU METHOD OF PRINTING 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Marcil 3, 1950 /Z 55 yy Ik IIIHIIV Ji f Inventor Attorneys Oct. 16, 1934. o. A, BERIAU METHOD oF PRINTING 4 Sheets-Sheet l? Filed March 3, 1930 jgdo BY W

wt Attorneys Oct.. 16, 1934. O, A BERlAU 1,977,372

METHOD OF PRINTING Filed March' 3, 19.30 4 Sheets-Shet 3 wysemw ,u i2 i am u i0@ fm/'gjeidda Wem by l Oct. 16, 1934. O, A, BERIAU 1,977,372

METHOD -OF PRINTING Filed March 5, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JJdI'ABeI/z'aa Inventof BY 7 M0 Attorneys Patented Oct. 16, 1934 METHOD F PRINTING Oscar A. Beriau, Quebec, Quebec, Canada, assignor to U. S. B. Process, Limited, Quebec, Quebec,

Canada Application March 3,1930, Serial No. 432,822

4 Claims. (Cl. 41-42) i 1*? polychromatic materials in natural designs.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a process of the above character which will replace the camera, negative, line, grain or com'- position screen and color lters.

- Still another object of the invention is the provision of a method of the above character which may be employed to print direct or oiset as in the ordinary methods, as well as to print by the typographic or intaglio method. Furthermore, plates can be obtained by the present. method for lithographic printing as well as electrotype and stereotype printing.

A still further object of the invention is a method of printing of the above type which will simplify 2 5 the present processes employed in what is known as tricolor or polychromatic printing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description progresses. In the'accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication and in which like reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the same: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View through a polychromatic slab of marble in polished condition, l

Figure 2 illustrates the slab immersed in an etching bath,

Figure 3 illustrates the slab after removal from the bath and its initial etching treatment,

' Figure 4 illustrates the slab in an etching Abath `wherein the etching material is attacking one of the surface colors,

Figure 5 illustrates the etching design resulting from the treatment described in the preceding gure, 1

'v Figure 6 illustrates the application of acid resisting ink to the raised surface of the slab shown in Figure 5, i Y

' Figure 'I illustrates the section of a metal plate 50 printed from the slab shown in Figure 6, L

Figure 8 illustrates the inked plate immersed in an etching bath, Y Y l' Figure 9 illustrates a plate produced after the treatment illustrated in Figures 8 and the removal of the ink,

FigureA 10 is a duplicate plate obtained by the same process as employed in the production of the plate shown in Figure 9, f

Figure 11 illustrates the iigure shown in Figure 9 having a coating of resisting ink applied on the dit; upper surface thereof,

Figure 12 is the same plate with the ink scraped to remove the acid resisting ink from the elevated surface and lling the recesses etched therein,

Figure 13 illustrates the original marble slab immersed in an etching bath for the purpose of attacking another color oi' the slab,

Figure 14 illustrates the slab as removed from the bath described in the preceding gures and having a raised surface coated With acid resisting ink, A

Figure 15 illustrates the inked raised surface of the slab shown in Figure 14 printed onto' the plate shown in Figure 12,

Figure 16 illustrates the acid resisting `coated plate of Figure 15 disposed in an etching bath to attach the uninked surface thereof.

Figure 17 illustrates the printing plate removed from the bath shown in Figure 16 and having a coating of soluble ink applied to its raised surface,

Figure 18 indicates the duplicate plate shown in Figures 10 and 12 having transferred thereon the soluble ink of the plate shown in Figure 17,

Figure 19 indicates the application of insoluble ink over the plate shown in Figure 18,

Figure 20 shows the same immersed in a bath of soluble liquid disposed to dissolve the soluble ink and the insoluble ink applied thereover,

Figure 21 illustrates the same as removed from the bath,

f Figure 22 illustrates the same in` anv etching bath, and ,l

Figure 23 illustrates the completed contour of the second duplicate printing plate.

With reference to the drawings, wherein the various steps of the process are illustrated in a greatly enlarged and exaggerated manner for convenience of illustration, the numeral 30 generally designates a section through a marble slab including a top surface, the surface to be reproduced, consisting of several colors or hues. As indicated by the cross hatching, the numerals 31 and 32 designate the red and green colorings respectively, while the light color, in the present instance embodying a white hue 33, is also formed therein'. The color sections are divided from the slab yproper by 'a line 35 drawn to diagrammatically represent the depth to which the various' colors will be approximately cut or etched during is, the surface to be reproduced, is to be subject-A ed to a series of etching operations. This etching is preferably accomplished by acid, as it is known that the constituent parts of the marble corresponding to the various colors or hues thereof embody distinctive characteristics having Varying properties of resistance to the etching acid. Consequently, the variously colored parts may be selectively etched by exposing the marble to an etching solution for varying periods ofl time and of varying strength in accordance with the resistibility of the colors to be etched from the material.

The initial step of Vthe processA preferably consists in immersing the coated slab in a bath 'containing'an etching acid solution, Vas for instance, an eight per cent solution of hydrochloric-'acid for a period of time sufcient to etch the top surface to develop the grain, the veins, preserving the natural half tones ofthe material and forming all the tone values.

` The etched surface thus produced upon the marble slab is then printed or transferred onto a metal plate with an acid resisting ink andthe plate is etched by chemical means, thus forming what corresponds to a screen figure plate.

I the top surface of the slabto a relatively weak solution of acid for a suitable period of time and/or increasing the strength of the etching solution, depending upon the resistibility of the matter to be etched. In the present example, thatV portion of the slab corresponding to the white hue is initially etched, for instance, to the diagrammatic color depth line 35, retaining the remaining red and green colored constituents in substantially elevated relief, as shown in Figure 5. Although the relief portions of the slab may be somewhat affected bythe previousetching treatment, the action of the acid thereon will be` insufficient to produce a detrimental eiect.

The slab is then rolled with an acid Yresisting l ink, indicated at 39 in Figure 6, sci as to coat the elevated color surface. The inked slab is then printed upon' a pair of duplicate'metal plates 40 andllla, each of which is subjected to an etching bath treatment, as shown in Figure 8, wherein the uninked surfaces are etched in correspondence with theY White hue of the originalV marble slab surface to a substantial depth, as indicated at Lil in Figure 9. The complementary plate lis similarly treated to form a similarly etched duplicate, indicated as 40a in `Figure 10. lBoth of the plates are then cleaned.

Each of the duplicate metal plates 40 and 40a is rolled and completely covered with an acid resist 42, the upper surface of which is subsequentmarble, so that the red color constituent willV be retained in relief as shown at Figure 14. The

slab in this condition is then rolled with an acid resisting ink, indicated at 43, covering only the elevated red colored surface. The slab, thus inked, is then disposed to effect a printing upon one of the metal plates 40, presenting a plate wherein the portions corresponding to the red hue is covered with a coating of acid resist. This plate is then subjected to a further etching treatment by immersing the same in'an etching fluid, the strength of which is determined to attack the uncovered surface resulting in the deep etching of the surface corresponding to the green color surface of the slab and forming. a plate having only the surface corresponding tothe red coloring of the slab in raised printing relief, as shown in Figure 17. .i The plate 401s then cleaned and a soluble ink is then applied v over the raised surface of the plate and transferred onto the complementary plate 40a, as shown in Figure i8.A A coating of insoluble ink Vis then applied to cover the entire surface of the plate lloa, including the soluble inked surface, asindicated in Figure V19, and the plate in this condition is immersed in'a Ybathv'of water or other soluble liquid. This solublebath will cause the soluble ink' to pass into solution, together with the insoluble ink which has been applied thereover and intermixed therewith, so as to produce a plate having the printing surface corresponding to the green and white hues covered with a coating of insoluble acid resisting ink,` while theremainder, corresponding -to the red surface of the slab will be unprotected.

The'plate in this condition is etched further by immersion in an acid bath, as shown in Figure 22, predetermined to attack the uncovered plate surface and deep etch the same in correspondence with the white hue portion resulting in the formation of a plate shown in Figure 23 having the corresponding green surface in substantially elevated relief. In transferring with ink from the slab to thernetal plate, the transfer can be madeeither direct or offset.

In order to reproduce the natural surface appearance of the marble upon metal, paper, board or other material, it is preferable to initially Vapply a ground color` upon the receiving surface of the material corresponding to the lightest color -or hue of the marble, kin vthe-present instance forming a vwhite background. The next operation may consist in printing upon the white surface the marble vein, grain and tone design through the medium of this first metal plate obtained from the initially etched slab, as shown 1 matic printing'. z

L The next-step' is the printing of'a color designed by one of the metallic color platea-preferably the predominating color, which in the pres- 'ent case will probably be the red color plate 40 shown in Figure 17. The green color plate 40a, shown in Figure 23, is next applied to complete :the color printing operation, or if desirable the operation may be reversed.

The plates thus produced are ready for printing by the typographie method, but from the said plates transfers, stereotypes and electrotypes can be obtained as Well as plates for the intaglio method and also for direct or offset flat bed 4or rotary printing. Transfers and plates can also be made for lithographie printing. These plates can be used for transferring and reversing from right to left or from negative to positive for the foregoing methods or printing by the ordinary methods of reversing and transferring.

In employing plates for the intaglio method, the first or screen plate is used as the screen and transferred with an acid resist upon each color plate before etching in order to form the natural screen necessary for intaglio printing.

Thus, by this process an exact replica or reproduction, in every detail, of the natural surface appearance of the marble or other material is produced on a base of any material, such as libro-cement, pulp and fibre board, metal and any other material either rigid or flexible, reproducing the half and ner tones with greater exactitude and efficiency than is obtained by photo mechanical methods. In the present method, it is unnecessary to employ a camera, a glass, gelatine or composition screen or a negative, the entire method being carried out by chemical and mechanical means. Furthermore, the present process effectively blends the colors of polychromatic marbles and other materials to faithfully reproduce any desirable color combination.

With this process, the mechanical eifect of line or other screens is eliminated, each slab of marble developing a half tone screen or grain in accordance with the natural design and color of the material.

It will be obvious, that the component parts of the screen corresponding to those of each color can be transferred, by the chemical etching, onto the metal plates so that each of the color plates would embody its own half tone or screen etching.

It will be readily apparent that the preferred example of the process described in the foregoing may be modified Where necessary, as for instance, when it is desirable that the background coating, upon which the material is to be produced, be of a different color from that of any of the colors or hues of the surface to be reproduced. In such case, printing or transfer plates are formed in correspondence with all the color designs of the slab surface. This may be effected by forming a metal printing plate in correspondence with the first color constituent etched from the slab, Which Was omitted in the preferred example of the process, by what is known in analogous arts as a reverse transfer. By this operation, the etched portions of the slab Will be transferred upon the metal plate and, by protecting the portion thus transferred, a plate of the iirst color is produced.

It will be understood that the various proportions, specic reagents and other details do not limit the invention but that Variations and departures from the herein described steps may be made within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. The process of treating material, differently colored portions of Which are composed of different constituents capable of being etched by different etching actions, Which consists in etching constituents of Varying color by progressively subjecting the material to different etching actions, which vary in accordance with the cornposition of the constituents.

2. The process of treating material, differently colored portions of which are composed of different constituents capable of being etched by different etching actions, vvhichconsists in progressively subjecting the constituents of the different colored portions to etching actions which vary in accordance with the diiferent composition of the constituents to etch various colors of the material.

3. The process of treating material, differently colored portions of which are composed of di'erent constituents capable of being etched by different etching actions, Which consists in etching constituents of varying colors of the material by subjecting the material, in the order of resistance of the constituents, to different etching actions which vary in accordance with the composition of the constituents.

4. The process of treating material, differently colored portions of which are composed of different constituents capable of being etched by different etching actions, Which consists in progressively subjecting the material to acid etching actions Which vary in accordance with the composition of the constituents to etch constituents of varying colors.

OSCAR A. BERIAU.

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